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“I’ll take it under advisement,” Jerry says, unperturbed. “I think the signal jammer was an attempt to prevent outgoing communications if their drone was detected. As it was, I barely got a warning to you in time, and it was a garbled mess.”
I lean forward and look at the screen. “Do you have any video of the drone before it imploded from a 12-gauge shotgun shell?”
Jerry reaches around to press the enter button, already having the video cued up. “I didn’t get the opportunity to tell you earlier, so I’ll tell you now. Nice shot, Savannah.”
“Thank you. My mother made me learn skeet shooting for all of the garden parties we were invited to during my pageant days.” She has a smile on her face, but there has always been a hollowness in her eyes when she talks about her mother.
I watch the video up until the point where the drone is shot down. “Did you see any armaments or explosives on the drone? I couldn’t tell.”
Jessie shakes her head. “I watched the video a few times while Jerry combed through the software. I didn’t see anything attached to the underbelly, and it didn’t turn into a massive fireball on impact. I believe the drone’s purpose was solely surveillance, not an attack.”
Ariella takes a long pull from her bottle of water. “What are the chances that the drone was just a toy some kids used?”
Jerry thinks about it for a split second, but that’s all it takes for him to stick with the conclusions he’s already made. “I would be willing to consider it possible if they hadn’t used a signal jammer. An innocent wouldn’t need such a device.”
Alex, who has been quietly eating his lunch and listening intently, asks, “Can you track where it came from?”
Jerry’s eyes widen with surprise. “Kid, you’re an absolute genius! You must get it from your mother!”
“Hey!” I admonish lightheartedly.
Jerry stands up abruptly. “I need to go to the orchard and collect the drone’s remains. Each drone has a unique RFID tag that might help identify who the owner is. I just need to find the piece that has it.”
“What’s an RFID tag?” Alex asks.
“RFID stands for ‘radio frequency identification.’ They’re tiny microchips that store information such as the drone’s make, model, and registration,” I explain.
“Is that a global requirement?” Ariella asks.
Jerry sighs. “No. However, it is a recent requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency to have them installed. And I know what you’re getting at. Brachha and Cothena aren’t required to use RFID technology. But! And it’s a big ‘but,’ Brachha exports a large majority of their equipment to the United States and Europe. I’m willing to gamble that their tech has RFID pre-installed to keep their customers happy.”
“Ask my dad to take you out there in the RZR. It’s fast and should provide you with plenty of protection. Try to be back within the hour,” I instruct.
“Do you think Don will let me drive it?” he asks.
I laugh loudly. “You must be joking. He won’t even let me drive it, and I’m his firstborn.”
“There’s no harm in me asking. If he says ‘No,’ it won’t change my circumstances, but I might get lucky and catch him in a giving mood.” Jerry’s attitude is optimistic, a rarity for him. If he wants to believe he stands a chance, then who am I to get in the way of that?
After lunch is finished, Alex goes into the living room with his grandma to do some of his homeschooling lessons while Jerry leaves to find the RFID. Now is the perfect time to call Ethan and update him on our most recent development. He’s not happy about the drone, but he’s not surprised by the news either.
“Pat, it’s actually a good thing you were out in the orchard when you were,” Ethan states.
“How do you figure?”
“Think about it. If Jerry is right and the drone was for reconnaissance purposes only, then it never reached its intended target. I doubt whoever was flying that thing expected it to get shot down in a field well over a mile from the main house. It was…”
“Ha! Ha! Ha! You must be joking! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
Ethan stops talking when he hears the laughter coming from outside. “What’s so funny?”
Everyone sitting around the table chuckles. “That would be my dad telling Jerry that he can’t drive the RZR. I did try to warn him.”
Ethan joins in. “I wouldn’t let Jerry behind the wheel either. He’s half the age of your father yet drives twice as slow. At the same time, I wouldn’t underestimate Jerry and his determination. He usually figures out a way to accomplish his objective when he sets his mind to something.”
Not wanting to lose our focus, I quickly bring us back on task. “Do you have any updates for us on your end of the investigation?”
“Yes. I do. Kiernan finally turned up in Brachha, looking a little worse for the wear but fully intact and with no broken bones. And can you guess what else?”
